Marijuana among the pioneers

This all seems so strange. We have spent our lives in a prohibitionist state — an intoxicating product is strictly forbidden by law, sold only by criminals, constantly chased by law enforcement, and yet easily obtained and widely used. Now, we come to the day of great change, the day the world turned upside down. We see people lining up at the state’s first legal marijuana stores, to legally buy legally grown marijuana, to be consumed legally.

Legally. Yes, it is strange. It will take me some time to get used to the idea, but apparently we in Washington still have the pioneering spirit. We have created a legal and regulated marijuana market out of thin air. It has been built from start to finish, from production to distribution to retail. Whether it will work is anyone’s guess, but here goes. We will see if this becomes the social disaster the critics foretold — the destroyer of youth, corrupter of adults, the thief of energy and initiative — or whether in a year’s time it becomes so mundane that we don’t talk about it much at all. So begins the grand experiment.

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